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2014 Maritime Innovation Award

Presented by the Institution in association with QinetiQ, the 2014 Maritime Innovation Award recognises the innovative work of Subsea Industries.

Subsea Industries

Increasingly, offshore vessels such as FPSOs, FSOs, FLRSUs and others used for offshore oil and gas exploration, drilling, storage and transport need to stay out of drydock for 15, 25 even 40 years. The challenge has been to protect the underwater hull from corrosion and to provide a cleanable surface so that the biofouling that accumulates can be removed successfully and safely without the need for docking.

In the early 2000s after more than 10 years of research, Subsea Industries developed glassflake reinforced coating which combines a hard coating with routine in-water cleaning. Ecolock, which is a continuation of that research and development, is also a glassflake reinforced coating, but one intended specifically to meet the challenging hull protection requirements of offshore vessels. Ecolock can be cleaned underwater as often as needed to meet the requirements of FPSOs, drill ships and other offshore vessels.

It provides a hard, impermeable coating which even the toughest barnacle will not penetrate. Barnacles, coral and other fouling organisms can be removed completely by divers, leaving no trace and restoring the coating to its original condition. And because it is non-toxic, it is sensitive to the environment.

Ecolock is the result of continuous R&D on offshore hull coatings since the 1990s. It is a fine example of the ongoing technological innovation needed to address industry’s challenges of today, and one worthy of the Maritime Innovation Award.

Subsea Industries’ Production Executive, Mr. Manuel Hof, received the Award from Sarah Kennedy, Managing Director of QinetiQ Maritime at the 2015 Annual Dinner.